Back Into Oblivion
by Sassafrass86
Summary: What would happen if another traumatic event pushed Josh over the edge? JD, JS friendship
1. So It Begins

**Author: Erika  
**E-mail**: freakrightout@hotmail.com  
**Title**: Back Into Oblivion  
**Characters**: Josh, Donna, Ryan, Sam  
**Category**: Angst  
**Pairing**: Josh/Sam friendship  
**Rating**: PG-13 **

**Spoilers: Just to be safe, let's say all the seasons, but especially ITSOTG (I & II), Noel, and Disaster Relief  
**Summary**: What happens when Josh is pushed over the edge? **

**Notes: I've had this story floating around in my mind now. Also, I just love the Josh angst. I decided to bring Sam into the story because of the brief mention of our beloved former Deputy of Communications. **

**Disclaimer: Although I often like to believe that Josh Lyman is mine, all characters belong to Aaron Sorkin's genius mind. **

SATURDAY. 12:08 A.M. 

Donna knocked on Josh's door. When she didn't get a reply, she opened the door and stuck her head into his office. "Josh?" She waited for a response, but once again, received nothing. "Josh? It's past midnight, you should get home." 

He turned in his chair to face her, running a hand through his unruly curls. "Yeah. Yeah, I will, I'm just…thinking." 

"About?" 

He paused, as if debating whether he wanted to tell her. "Everything. Nothing. I don't know." He sighed. "You should go home. It's past midnight." 

Donna took a couple steps forward. "Josh…are you okay?" she asked, concerned. "Do you want me to get Ryan to take you home?" 

He chuckled at that. "He's still here?"  
"He's worried about you." 

"He's a good kid, Donna. He really is." 

"Yeah. He said you threatened the Capitol." 

"I was drunk." 

"He told me you weren't." 

"I told him I wasn't," he replied, his voice gaining on edge." 

"Okay," she said, not wanting to upset him. "Josh--" 

"I'm fine, Donna. I'm just a little tired, it's been a long day. You should go home." 

"I'll stay if you need me." 

"I know. But really, I'm fine, go. I'll see you tomorrow." 

"How are you getting home?" 

Josh let out an inaudible sigh. "Walking. I'm an outdoors--" 

"Don't even say it," Donna laughed. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." 

"Yeah, bye." 

"Bye, Josh," she replied, leaving the office and closing the door behind her. She was just out of the bullpen when a voice stopped her. 

"Donna, is he okay?" 

She turned to see Ryan. She gave him a small smile. "I hope so. Keep on eye on him for me, will you?" 

"Sure." 

"Thanks. See you tomorrow." 

"Right." 

As Donna walked away, Ryan headed to Josh's office. He entered without knocking and plopped down on his boss's couch. "Hi, Josh," he greeted cheerfully. 

"You're supposed to knock," Josh chastised, glaring at his intern. "And you're too chipper. It's past midnight." 

"Chipper?" 

"Shut up. Why are you still here? You should be home." 

Ryan shrugged. "I could say the same thing to you." 

"I'd fire you." 

"No, you wouldn't." 

"That's not the point." 

"Seriously, _you_ should be the home going home right now. Get some rest, you look really tired." 

"You and Donna are conspiring against me, aren't you?" 

Ryan laughed. "What makes you think it's not Donna, me, and the rest of the staff?" he joked. He looked down at his shoes for his next question. "So, uh…you want me to take you home?" He rolled his eyes, knowing what the answer would me. 

Josh hesitated before speaking. "Would you mind?" 

Ryan's head shot up. "No, of course I wouldn't mind. Let's go." 

12:26 

Ryan pulled up to the curb in front of Josh's apartment. 

"Thanks for the ride, I really appreciate," Josh said quietly. 

"Anytime," Ryan replied. "Really." 

Josh glanced at his fellow Harvard alum and nodded in understanding. "See you tomorrow," he said, climbing out of the car. He shut the door and waved. Ryan gave Josh a nod before driving off. 

Josh sighed as he watched Ryan drive away. He stood on the sidewalk for a few moments, rooted in place, dazed and thinking of the events that had taken place in the last few weeks. He barely had time to react when he felt something cold press into his back and a low voice whispered, "You make a sound, you die. Move." 

Josh allowed the man to pull him into the alley between his apartment building and the next. All he could feel was fear and pain rising in his chest. He prayed that this wouldn't be a repeat of what had happened to him at Rosslyn. He noticed that he was no longer alone with his captor. He was being surrounded by what had to be seven or eight men, all equipped with their own baseball bat. _Oh, God_, Josh thought. _Please, God, no, don't do this to me. _

"Mr. Lyman," the man with the gun said, "Virginia White Pride wasn't able to rid the world of your presence. And as much as we'd like to, we're not here to finish the job." 

_God, if you can hear me…_

"We're here to see to it that you suffer. We don't take kindly to Jews, and especially not Jews with power. We're here to make sure you understand something very important." 

_ Stop this. Please help me. _

"You have no place here." 

Josh felt a sudden, excruciating pain in his abdomen, which was quickly followed by another devastating blow. The men were all over him, throwing fists against his face, bats against his ribs, elbows against his chest… 

_Lord, please hear me._

He didn't know how long the beating lasted. He had moved on from praying for help to praying for something, anything, to knock him out. Reality was beginning to look fuzzy when everything stopped. 

"The cops!" one of them yelled. "Let's get the hell out of here!" 

_Oh, how convenient._

He gasped in pain when he felt a hand on his surely broken shoulder. He squinted his eyes to see who was there. 

"Mr. Lyman! Mr. Lyman, I heard the noise, and I…Oh, God, Mr. Lyman, please answer me!" 

"Brad?" Josh croaked, vaguely remembering his neighbor's name. The sirens were much louder now. '_Where's Toby?'_ Josh wanted to ask. _'He's supposed to be here. He's supposed to find me.' _

_ "Don't worry, Mr. Lyman, the ambulance is here! You're going to be okay!" _

"Okay," Josh echoed. _I'll never be okay_. "Okay." 


	2. Tragedy of a Hate Crime

**Author: Erika  
**E-mail**: freakrightout@hotmail.com  
**Title**: Back Into Oblivion  
**Characters**: Josh, Donna, Ryan, Sam  
**Category**: Angst  
**Pairing**: Josh/Sam friendship  
**Rating**: PG-13 **

**Spoilers: Just to be safe, let's say all the seasons, but especially ITSOTG (I & II), Noel, and Disaster Relief  
**Summary**: What happens when Josh is pushed over the edge? **

**Notes: I've had this story floating around in my mind now. Also, I just love the Josh angst. I decided to bring Sam into the story because of the brief mention of our beloved former Deputy of Communications. **

**Disclaimer: Although I often like to believe that Josh Lyman is mine, all characters belong to Aaron Sorkin's genius mind. **

12:56 A.M. 

Leo groaned and looked up from his paperwork when heard a knock on his door. "What?" he called." 

Margaret opened the door and slowly stepped in. Leo stiffened when he saw her grim expression. "Margaret?" 

"GW just called." 

Leo gulped, feeling a tug at his heart. "Why?" 

"Josh." 

_No._ "What happened?" 

"He was attacked." 

Leo immediately stood and head out the door. "I want a car ready to take me to GW _now_." 

"Leo…" 

"Just _do it_!" he exclaimed, speeding up. He refused to stop for anyone until someone grabbed his arm. 

"Leo, what is it?" 

"Toby, I don't have time right now." 

"Leo!" 

He let out a heavy sigh. "Josh was taken to GW." 

"_What_? Why? What happened?" 

"He was attacked." 

"Oh, my God. How bad is he?" 

"I don't know yet. I'm going over there right now." 

"I'll tell C.J. We'll meet up with you there." 

"Did everyone decide to stay here past midnight?" 

Toby shrugged, starting towards C.J.'s office. 

"Toby! Call Donna for me, okay?" 

"Yeah." 

"I should call Sam." It was actually more of a question than a statement. 

Toby paused. "Yeah." 

"I'll see you at the hospital." 

CALIFORNIA 

SAM SEABORNE'S OFFICE 

He pulled the phone off its hook after the first ring. "Sam Seaborne." 

"Hi, Sam." 

"Leo?" 

"Yeah, how are you?" 

"I'm good!" Sam exclaimed, excited to hear from his former boss. "What's up?" 

"Sam, listen…" Leo trailed. 

Sam's smile faded. Something bad had happened. He could feel it. "Oh, God, no." 

"Sam…" 

"What happened?" 

Leo hesitated before bitterly replying, "The bastards beat him, Sam. They beat him." 

Sam felt bile rising in his throat. "How bad?" he choked. 

"Bad." 

"Is he awake?" 

"Yeah, but he's in a lot of pain." 

"I'm going to get the next flight out." 

"You're sure?" 

"Absolutely." 

"Want me to pick you up from the airport?" 

"You should stay with Josh. I'll be fine." 

"Okay. See you soon." 

"Yeah, bye," Sam replied. He hung up the phone and rubbed his temples. Getting time off from work wouldn't be a problem, considering he had the White House behind him. He reached for the phone again and dialed a number. "Yes, I'd like to book a seat on the next flight to Washington , D.C. " 

1:49 A.M. 

Leo took a deep breath before walking back into Josh's hospital room. He put a hand on Donna's arm. She looked up and gave him a small smile before putting her attention back on Josh. 

"He's sleeping?" he asked, nodding when she replied affirmatively. His deputy looked so still. Too still. "I can't believe this happened." 

There was a brief silence. "He's in so much pain, Leo," she said, holding back a sob. "I don't know if he can handle this. With everything that's happened recently…" 

"I know. And I haven't been helping. I've been giving him so much crap about the Carrick thing, and Angela Blake, and Ryan Pierce--" 

"You should call him. Ryan, I mean. He'd want to know." 

"Okay. Sam's going to be flying in soon. I just got off the phone with him." 

"Good, Josh will be happy to hear that." 

"Donna…I don't want you handling this yourself. With Josh out, there's going to be more work, which means we're going to need everyone there." 

"I know," she murmured, tightening her grip on Josh's unbroken hand. 

"Sam's going to be here. He can take care of Josh, and so can the rest of us. Don't kill yourself trying to watch over him, do you understand?" 

"I understand," she replied. She looked up at Leo. "Does the President know what happened?" 

Leo sighed. "Charlie told him. The Secret Service had to do everything short of locking him in the Residence to stop him from running here in his underwear." 

"We wouldn't want that." 

Leo chucked. "No, we wouldn't." 

"What about the others?" 

"Toby told C.J., and they're going to be down in a bit. You should get some sleep. I'll stay here and watch Josh." 

"Leo, I don't--" 

"Donna." 

She hung her head, too tired and too worried to argue. "Find me when he wakes up." 

"Of course," he assured, patting her on the back as she stood. She bent down and kissed Josh's forehead, giving his hand one last squeeze before vacating the room. Josh eased himself into the chair Donna had been sitting in and leaned back, taking in Josh's full appearance. He was bruised from head to toe, also suffering from an endless about of broken bones and ribs. Leo sat up straight when Josh shifted and moaned in pain, slowly opening his eyes. He blinked, looking at his surroundings before settling his line of vision on Leo. 

"Hey," he rasped. 

"Hey, kid," Leo whispered. "How're you feeling?" 

"It hurts everywhere, Leo." 

"I know," Leo replied, struggling to keep his voice even. "Do you remember what happened?" 

Josh gave him a small nod. "Vaguely, but…Leo, they said they wanted to see me suffer because I'm Jewish, and…God, it hurts everywhere!" 

Leo felt his temper being to rise. It killed him to see tears running down Josh's face. "Those sons of bitches." 

"Leo--" 

"We'll get them, Josh. I swear to you, we'll get them." 

"Who knows?" 

Leo wrinkled his forehead in confusing, taking a full minute to understand what Josh was asking. "The President, Donna, Toby, C.J., Margaret, Charlie…Sam's coming in from California ." 

"Why?" 

"Because he cares about you." 

"I'm glad he's going to be here." 

"I know. Listen, this probably isn't the place to do it, but I want to apologize." 

"Apologize for what?" 

"I've been hard on you these past few weeks. _Too _hard on you." 

"No, Leo, I…I screwed up with Carrick, and--" 

"We've all screwed up with something. I shouldn't have taken away your responsibilities because you made a mistake. I should have trusted you." 

Josh paused before nodding. "Thank you." 

"Yeah, well, I guess we _shouldn't _worry about it now, huh?" 

Josh gave Leo a half-smile, showing off one of his famous dimples. "Yeah." 

"You should catch up on your sleep while you've got the chance. You've been looking pretty worn-out lately." 

"I've been a little stressed out," Josh admitted, quickly adding, "which is no one's fault but my own." 

Leo chucked. "You really should rest, Josh. We're not going to let you come back to work before you're ready." 

"You mean you're going to be careful this time. Just in case I take a liking to any windows." 

"That's not what I meant." 

" I know. I'm sorry." The men sat in silence for a few minutes before Josh spoke again. "Leo, can I ask you something?" 

"Sure." 

"What if the PTSD…you know…shows up again?" 

"Josh--" 

"I mean, what if I let it go out of control?" 

"That won't happen. We'll help you manage it." 

"My nightmares have started again," Josh quickly blurted. 

Leo blinked. "When?" 

"After the thing with Carrick. When I realized I'm a liability to the Presidency." 

"That is not true." 

"Well, then how long will it be until I _become_ a liability, Leo?" Josh exclaimed. "How far is too far? How much can you take before you fire me? I'm on the borderline here, and we both know it!" 

Leo sat in shock from Josh's outburst. "The nightmares are about Rosslyn?" he asked, sidetracking. 

Josh let out a deep breath, wincing at the pain in his ribs. "Yeah, they're about Rosslyn. And the fire." 

Leo raised an eyebrow. "You're dreaming about Joanie?" 

Josh focused on a sign above Leo's head and nodded. Leo grasped Josh's hand. 

"We'll get through this together, Josh. We're all going to be here to help you." 

"I appreciate that." 

Leo gave him a short shod. He stood up, brushed Josh's hair back and kissed the younger man's head. "Now, you rest. I'm going to go check up on a few things, but I'll be back later, alright?" 

"Okay," Josh agreed, stifling a yawn. 

Leo smiled and started toward the door. He paused and turned his head, locking eyes with Josh. "You'll _never_ be a liability. Not as long as I'm around," he said before exiting the room. 


	3. The Lyman Way

**Author**: Erika  
**E-mail**:   
**Title**: Back Into Oblivion  
**Characters**: Josh, Donna, Ryan, Sam  
**Category**: Angst  
**Pairing**: Josh/Sam friendship  
**Rating**: PG-13

**Spoilers**: Just to be safe, let's say all the seasons, but especially ITSOTG (I & II), Noel, and Disaster Relief  
**Summary**: What happens when Josh is pushed over the edge?

**Notes**: I've had this story floating around in my mind now. Also, I just love the Josh angst. I decided to bring Sam into the story because of the brief mention of our beloved former Deputy of Communications.

**Notes #2**: To anyone who actually read this story back in '03, I'm so sorry to have left you hanging. After talking to my buddy Eliza about writing fan fiction again, I decided to get my act together and type out what I had written down.

**Disclaimer**: Josh is mine! All mine! And so is Bradley! sigh It was all just a dream.

WHITE HOUSE PRESS ROOM  
SUNDAY, 7:30 A.M.

The normal hustle and bustle of the press room was now deafening to C.J.'s ears. She took her place at the podium and cleared her throat. "Can I have your attention, please? Thank you. By now, I'm sure all of you have heard about Joshua Lyman's attack last night. I do not know all the details as of yet, but I can assure you that as soon as I do, you will be informed with what is necessary." _That'll make them happy to hear_.  
"C.J.!" came the shouts of the reporters, all of them trying to speak over each other.  
"Do you know how it happened?"  
"Can you tell us who's responsible?"  
"How badly has he been injured?"  
C.J. rolled her eyes. "Guys, when I say I don't know the details, it means _I don't know the details_."  
"What about--"  
"Stop! People!" C.J. shouted. The shouts of the reporters gradually faded. "Josh's attack was a surprise to all of us. I don't know how it happened, or who did it, but when I found out, you'll know about it!" C.J. stared out at the reporters, challenging them to question her. "Okay, then. Now, here's what else I have for you..."

GW HOSPITAL  
SUNDAY, 10:57 A.M.

Sam Seaborne rushed through the doors of GW, suitcases in hand, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu. He ran to the receptionist's desk. "Excuse me," he panted, "I need to know where Joshua Lyman's room is."

"I'm sorry, sir," the receptionist, whose name tag dubbed her Tina, said kindly, "but I'm afraid that information is for family only."  
"Listen, uh...Tina," Sam said, causing the receptionist to raise an eyebrow, "this is really important, and I..."  
"Family _only_," Tina replied curtly. "Are you family?"  
Sam bit his lip. "I'm his brother," he blurted, wincing to himself. "Does that count?"  
"Oh!" Tina exclaimed sheepishly. "Well, yes, of course..." She quickly typed something into the computer. "Mr. Lyman is in the ICU, room 456."  
"Thank you," Sam said gratefully. "Oh, and I'm sorry to ask, but do you think it would be possible for you to watch my bags for me?"  
Tina smiled. "That'll be fine, I'll put them behind the desk." She stood and took the bags as Sam handed them to her. She glanced down and happened to catch a glimpse of the tags. "Don't worry," she said, biting back a laugh, "I will take very good care of these, Mr. Seaborne."  
"Thank you so much," Sam said. He stopped and looked guiltily at the receptionist, realizing his mistake. "Listen, I'm sorry I lied, but..." Tina waved her hand, but Sam continued, "See, Josh _is_ my brother. Except, you know, without the whole blood relation thing."  
"Go on, then," Tina said with a smile.  
"Thank you," Sam said again, racing toward the elevator.

By the time he reached the ICU floor, Sam was walking considerably slower. It seemed like ages before he finally arrived at room 456. He took a deep breath and pushed open the door. He thought he felt his heart stop briefly at the sight before him.

Toby pushed away from the wall. "Sam, you're here!"  
"Yeah," Sam replied, not sure what else to say. Donna stirred from her place next to Josh's bed.  
"Sam?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.  
"Yeah," Sam repeated. Donna smiled and stood to hug her friend.  
"I'm so glad you're here. How are you?"  
"I've been better." He felt Donna tense and immediately regretted his comment. He nodded toward Josh. "Please tell me he looks worse than he feels."  
"Highly doubtful," Toby answered."  
"Hey," Donna said softly, touching Sam's shoulder, "We'll step out for awhile, okay? He's been waking up every couple of hours, so..."  
"Thanks, I'd appreciate that," Sam replied. When Donna and Toby left the room, Sam occupied the blonde's seat. He stared at his best friend for a few minutes, afraid that if he moved, Josh would be disturbed.  
"You just going to sit there?" a groggy voice asked.  
"Josh!" Sam exclaimed as the older man opened his eyes. "How long have you been awake?"  
"Since you got here," Josh admitted. "It's so good to..." He paused to cough. "So good to see you."  
"You need some water?" Sam asked, concerned.  
"No, I'm fine."  
"Yeah, you look great."  
"Don't I always?"  
Sam smirked. "If that's what you want to hear, sure." A moment of silence passed between the two.   
"You didn't have to come," Josh said quietly.  
"Of course I did."  
"I mean, I don't want you to feel like you have to stay."  
"You want me to leave?" Sam challenged.  
"No," Josh whispered.  
"Then shut up," Sam whispered back, gripping Josh's hand. "I want to be here, okay? And I'm going to be here to take of you."  
"I'm not a baby," Josh grumbled, though he barely matched Sam's grip.  
"There's the Josh I know." Another few silent moments passed until Josh let out a small gasp. Sam panicked. "Josh? What's wrong?" Josh tried to shake his head, but quickly decided that it hurt too much. "Josh?"  
"It's fine," Josh lied. "It'll pass." He groaned as the pain intensified.  
"Should I get someone?"  
"No," Josh said. He lifted his free hand and motioned toward a machine to his left. "The thing...it's on a timer."  
Sam glanced up and saw the morphine drip. "There's five minutes left."  
"Yeah."  
"Josh..."  
"Don't worry about it, I'm fine."  
"Just breathe."  
"This isn't Lamaze class, Sam."  
"Whatever, just relax."  
"_You_ relax!"  
"I am!" Sam argued, his voice going high in pitch. Josh gave a wheezing laugh.  
"Okay." He bit down on his lip, trying to keep his mind off the sweat falling down his face. "Sam?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Can you talk?"  
"Talk?" Sam asked, puzzled. "About what?"  
"I don't know, I just...Can you just talk about something?"  
Sam realized what Josh meant. "Oh, uh...yeah, well, let's see...Remember the first time we met? It was in '88, and I was getting coffee from some cafe, and I turn around, and you came out of nowhere. Do you remember? We just collided, and we spilled coffee all over each other." Josh smiled at the memory. "I remember I was so pissed off because I was having a really bad morning, and we just started yelling at each other. We got kicked out for that!"  
"I remember," Josh said, closing his eyes in anticipation.  
"You've only got a couple minutes, Josh."  
"Keep talking."  
"Okay, well, we finally calmed down and managed to apologize to each other. You offered to buy me a new cup of coffee from a place across the street, and we ended up talking in that restaurant for three hours. You mentioned that your landlord was kicking you out of your apartment, and my roommate had moved out earlier that week, so..."  
"Why'd you let me take it?"  
"Hmm?"  
"We didn't even know each other."  
Sam shrugged. "It just seemed right."  
"If only you had told me how small it was..."  
"You would have moved in anyway," Sam laughed. "God, Josh, when I think about those days..."  
"I know," Josh agreed. "I feel the same way." At that moment, the timer's alarm went off, and Josh visibly relaxed. "I'm sorry, Sam, I'm just so tired..."  
"It's okay, Josh, just rest. I'm here." He released Josh's hand from his and sat back in his chair, realizing how exhausted the last ten minutes had made him. "I'm here," he repeated out loud, just before dropping his head and falling asleep.

OVAL OFFICE  
SUNDAY, 12:33 P.M.

Jed Bartlet sat frozen at his desk, pen in hand, unable to concentrate on his work. It wasn't until Leo opened his door to the Oval Office that the President moved. Gladly forgetting the various papers he was supposed to be signing, Jed tossed his pen aside. "Any updates on Josh?" he asked.  
"He wakes up every now and then, but only from the pain," Leo replied grimly.  
"Leo, you look about twenty years older than you did yesterday."  
"Thank you, sir," Leo deadpanned.  
"And you really don't need it," Jed continued.  
"Sir."  
Jed motioned to the folder in Leo's in hand. "You got something for me?"  
Leo shook his head. "No, sir. These are get well cards from people around the West Wing."  
"I see," Jed replied with a nod. He sighed.  
"Mr. President? Are you alright, sir?"  
"This shouldn't have happened, Leo."  
"No, sir."  
"We couldn't have done anything to stop it."  
"No, sir."  
"That's what kills me."  
"I know."  
"Do we have any idea who did this yet?"  
"Well, we've assumed that it's a hate group."  
"Which leaves how many possibilities?" the President snapped.  
"Sir..." Leo was cut off when the President slammed his fist onto his desk.  
"We need to get these guys, Leo!" Jed shouted.  
"We _will_," Leo assured.  
"They should be put away for the rest of their lives."  
"Yes."  
"What if it happens again?"  
"Secret Service is keeping tight watch on Josh's neighborhood. We won't _let_ it happen again."  
"Josh won't like that."  
"I don't disagree."  
"He's too damn stubborn."  
"It's the Lyman way, sir," Leo replied, allowing himself a small smile.  
Jed nodded slowly and exhaled. "Is Sam here yet?" he asked, abruptly changing the subject.  
"He got in this morning. He's at the hospital right now."  
"Good, good," Jed murmured.  
Leo looked his friend over. "He'll be fine, sir."  
"He's a strong kid," Jed agreed.  
"He is."  
"Josh is walking a fine line, Leo. How much more can he really take?"  
"He's taken a lot so far."  
"That's my point."  
Leo shifted uncomfortably. "Sir, I'm going to go over to the hospital for awhile, if you don't need me. I need to give these cards to Josh."  
"Tell him I said hello."  
"Yes, sir," Leo replied. He turned and left the Oval Office, leaving Jed alone with his thoughts.


	4. Who Are You

**Author**: Erika  
**E-mail**:   
**Title**: Back Into Oblivion  
**Characters**: Josh, Donna, Sam  
**Category**: Angst  
**Pairing**: Josh/Sam friendship  
**Rating**: PG-13

**Spoilers**: Just to be safe, let's say all the seasons, but especially ITSOTG (I & II), Noel, and Disaster Relief  
**Summary**: What happens when Josh is pushed over the edge?

**Notes**: I've had this story floating around in my mind now. Also, I just love the Josh angst. I decided to bring Sam into the story because of the brief mention of our beloved former Deputy of Communications.

**Notes #2**: To anyone who actually read this story back in '03, I'm so sorry to have left you hanging. After talking to my buddy Eliza about writing fan fiction again, I decided to get my act together and type out what I had written down.

**Disclaimer**: Josh is mine! All mine! And so is Bradley! sigh It was all just a dream.

ONE WEEK LATER  
JOSH'S APARTMENT  
THURSDAY, 6:24 P.M.

"Josh?"  
"Hmm?"  
"Josh?"  
"Hmm?"  
"Josh?"  
"_What?_"  
"Nothin'," Sam replied, innocently. Josh rolled his eyes. "Josh?"  
"Hmm?"  
"Josh?"  
"_Sam?_"  
Sam smiled to himself. "Touché."  
"I can't believe you're doing this."  
"What else am I supposed to do?"  
"I don't know, maybe actually _watch_ the movie?"  
"Where's the fun in that? The writing's terrible!"  
"You should know."  
"That hurts."  
"That's life."  
"Josh?"  
"Hmm?"  
"Josh?"  
"Oh. My. God."

AN HOUR LATER

"What should we do now?" Sam asked.  
"Oh, are you done playing 'Josh, Hmm'?"  
"For now."  
"That's good news," Josh said, trying not to cause himself more pain while he stretched.  
"Josh?"  
"Don't even start!"  
"No, I'm not...I just..."  
"Faster, Sam."  
"I don't think you should be going back to work so soon."  
"You're probably right."  
"I mean, think about it! It'll only have been two weeks, and you've got broken ribs that won't heal for another _month_!"  
"Good point."  
"I know you think I'm wrong, but I...Wait, what?"  
"Everything you're saying is right and true."  
"Redundant."  
"Not really caring."  
"Let's go over this again. You think I'm right?"  
"Mmm-hmm."  
"So when everyone says you need to rest and relax..."  
"Now who's being redundant?"  
"Josh!"  
"_Yes_, Sam! I think you're right!"  
"Who _are_ you?"  
"What?"  
"What have you done with my best friend?"  
"Shut up."  
"So you're not going to be an idiot and go back to work on Monday?"  
"Oh, no, I am."  
"Josh..."  
"Sam, I'm an idiot. You can't disagree with that."  
"Haven't yet."  
Josh glared at his friend, but continued on, "It won't be like last time."  
"The fact that there _was_ a last time..."  
"Can we not?"  
"I don't think it'll be good for you."  
"I'll be fine."  
Sam shook his head. "Josh, you put your hand through a window!" he shouted. Seeing Josh's wince made Sam feel guilty. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."  
"No, it's okay. And I did, there's no use pretending it never happened. But this wasn't Rosslyn, Sam."  
"No, it was D.C. Right outside your apartment, D.C." Josh didn't reply. "Josh?"  
"I just want to go back to my normal routine," Josh said quietly, fiddling with the buttons on his oversized pajamas. "Can you understand that?"  
Sam let out a sympathetic sigh. "Yeah, I can understand that. But what you have to understand is that going back won't make it normal. Or did the crutches not help you realize that yet?"  
"When do you have to go back to California?"  
Sam frowned at the change of subject, but decided not to push it. "I've got a few more weeks to spare."  
"How'd you get so much time off?"  
"Three months of sick leave," Sam said with a grin. "And knowing the President has its perks."  
"So does _working_ for him," Josh teased.  
"That time has come and gone, my friend."  
"Well, I'm thinking I should have followed you out the door," Josh said. Sam looked at his friend curiously. Josh smiled. "Three months of sick leaves sounds really nice."  
Sam laughed. "You had me going there for a minute."  
"Don't tell Donna," Josh warned. "She'd freak out."  
"Of course she would. If you quit, she doesn't have job."  
Josh raised an eyebrow. "That's true. I think I know how to get her to bring me coffee now."  
"You are a cruel man."  
"Don't you forget it."  
After a few minutes of watching _Friends_, Sam said, "Josh?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Josh?"  
"Crap."

**Sorry it's short! And sorry it skipped over to a week later. I just wanted to do Josh and Sam banter. Anyways, the next chapter will be up soon.**


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